Agastache plant named ‘Summer Sunset’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct form of  Agastache  plant characterized by orange flowers, a bushy, upright, well-branching habit, a long bloom time, and excellent vigor.

Botanical denomination: Agastache spp.

Variety designation: ‘Summer Sunset’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Agastache, given the name, ‘Summer Sunset’. Agastache is in the family Lamiaceae. This new variety is an open pollinated seedling selection out of Agastache ‘Summer Glow’ as such the pollen parent is unknown.

Compared to the seed parent, Agastache ‘Summer Glow’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 20,980), the new cultivar has orange rather than soft yellow colored flowers and a shorter habit.

Compared to Agastache ‘Summer Fiesta’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 22,086), the new cultivar has flowers that are more orange than red and a shorter habit.

Compared to Agastache ‘Apricot Sprite’, an unpatented plant, the new cultivar blooms longer, has a larger habit, a darker orange flower color, and is hardier.

This plant exhibits the following characteristics that make it unique:

-   -   1. orange flowers,     -   2. a bushy, upright, well-branching habit,     -   3. a long bloom time, and     -   4. excellent vigor.

The new variety has been reproduced only by asexual propagation (stem cuttings and micropropagation using apical buds and nodes). Each of the progeny exhibits identical characteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by stem cuttings and micropropagation using apical buds and nodes as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that the foregoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The present invention has not been evaluated under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in environment without a change in the genotype of the plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 shows a 1 year-old Agastache ‘Summer Sunset’ growing in the trial bed in mid July in Canby, Oreg.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new Agastache cultivar based on observations of 6-month-old specimens in August grown outside in full sun in one gallon container in Canby, Oreg. Canby is Zone 8 on the USDA Hardiness map. Temperatures range from a high of 95 degrees F. in August to an average of 32 degrees F. in January. Normal rainfall in Canby is 42.8 inches per year. The color descriptions are all based on The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 5^(th) edition.

-   Plant:     -   -   Form.—Upright.         -   Type.—Herbaceous perennial.         -   Cold hardiness.—USDA Zone 7-10.         -   Size.—Grows to 34 cm wide and 30 cm tall to the top of the             flowers.         -   Vigor.—Excellent.         -   Branching.—About 18 branches from the base.         -   Stem.—Square in cross section, grows to 4 mm wide and 12 cm             tall to the first main flower, pubescent, internodes range             from 2 to 4 cm long, Yellow Green 147A.         -   Roots.—White 155B, fibrous, plants root easily from stem tip             cuttings. -   Leaf:     -   -   Type.—Simple.         -   Arrangement.—Opposite.         -   Shape.—Ovate.         -   Venation.—Pinnate.         -   Margins.—Crenate.         -   Apex.—Acute.         -   Base.—Truncate.         -   Blade size.—Grows to 50 mm long and 40 mm wide.         -   Surface texture.—Pubescent on both sides.         -   Petiole description.—Grows to 34 mm long and 1 mm wide,             pubescent, Yellow Green 147B.         -   Leaf color.—Top side closest to Green 137A, bottom side             \Yellow Green 147B. -   Inflorescence:     -   -   Type.—Terminal spike with about 6 whorls.         -   Number of flowers.—About 80 per spike.         -   Size of inflorescence.—Grows to 17 cm tall and 7 cm wide.         -   Peduncle.—Grows to 6 cm tall and 1 mm wide, pubescent,             Yellow Green 147B.         -   Pedicel.—2 mm long, pubescent, Yellow Green 147C.         -   Bloom period.—July through frost in Canby, Oreg. -   Flower bud:     -   -   Size.—16 mm long and 4 mm wide at the widest point prior to             opening.         -   Description.—Tubular.         -   Surface texture.—Pubescent.         -   Color.—Greyed Orange N170B. -   Flower:     -   -   Type.—Zygomorphic.         -   Shape.—Bilabiate, tubular.         -   Size.—37 mm long and 9 mm wide.         -   Corolla description.—Grows to 35 mm long and spreads to 9 mm             wide; color outside Greyed Orange 168A and inside Red 39B on             lobe tips to Orange 29A on lobe bases to Orange 26C in tube;             glabrous inside and pubescent outside, tube 28 mm long and 1             mm to 5 mm wide; 2 upper lobes joined 4 mm long and 5 mm             wide, oblong, tip acute, margin entire; three lower lobes,             two spreading sideways, each 4 mm long and 3.5 mm wide, tip             acute, margin entire; the bottom lobe broad, cupped,             obovate, edges irregularly serrate, 7 mm wide and 4 mm deep.         -   Calyx description.—7 mm long and 3 mm wide, pubescent             outside and glabrous inside, 5 lobed, lobes triangular, 2 mm             long, margin entire, tip acuminate, color Greyed Green 147B.         -   Pistil description.—40 mm long, ovary 1.5 mm long, Orange             White 159A, style 38.5 mm long, White NN155D; stigma Purple             Violet N81A.         -   Stamen description.—4 in number, paired and exerted, top two             35 mm long and bottom two 32 mm long, filaments Purple 75A,             anthers 0.5 mm long, Purple Violet N81D, pollen White 155A.         -   Fragrance.—Light herbal.         -   Lastingness.—A spike blooms for about 3 weeks on the plant. -   Fruit/seed: 4 nutlets, 1 mm long, ovoid, Black 202A. -   Pests and diseases: Agastache are known to be susceptible to downy     mildew (Peronospora) and rust (Puccinia) in dry summer months. The     new cultivar has no known resistances but has shown no problems in     Canby, Oreg. 

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct form of Agastache plant substantially as shown and described. 